logistics

“I can’t believe I’m even considering this.” Andromeda said, staring blankly into the space above Hermione’s head.

Harry sipped at his cup of tea. The four of them were crowded around Andromeda’s kitchen table, discussing their time-travel scheme.

Hermione sighed. “Andy, if you say no, we’ll respect that—“

“The thing is,” Andromeda said, “I don’t think I am saying no.”

Andromeda set down her teacup and folded her hands in her lap, closing her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Draco had barely touched his tea, while Hermione had drained hers the moment it was set in front of her.

“I’m worried about Teddy.” Andromeda said plainly. “Despite his best efforts, he has been unable to make friends his own age, when he’s not plotting some prank or other he’s quiet, but mostly, I’m worried about the new laws that have been cropping up.”

The other three nodded. Every year, the chances of Teddy managing to get through an entire Hogwarts education unhindered by anti-werewolf laws were steadily decreasing. Though he was due to start in September, there was no guarantee that one of those laws restricting those with “creature blood” from attending Hogwarts wouldn’t get passed, and Snape outing Remus in 1993 was still haunting Remus’ son. The Ministry knew about his heritage, and if one of the more extreme laws got passed, there was no telling what they’d want to do with him, especially as a metamorphmagus.

“All things considered,” she concluded, “This madcap plan may actually be what’s best for him.

“Would you want to come as well?” Draco asked, to the surprise of the other three. “I understand that it would be difficult—“

“No.” Andromeda said decisively. “Thank you for asking, but I don’t believe I could take seeing my younger self with everything I…No. I will not risk the Madness just to see my daughter one last time.” She seemed to think for a moment. “Will you have access to a pensieve, do you think?”

Hermione glanced at Harry, who nodded, seeing what they were thinking. “The Black Family pensieve is still in the study of Grimauld Place. Even if he doesn’t believe us at first, I doubt Sirius will take much convincing, in the end.” Harry said, more confidently than he really felt.

Andromeda hummed like she wasn’t too certain about that either, but continued on the previous topic. “I will send you with six vials of memories. One for Teddy, one for Nymphadora, one for Narcissa, one for Ted, one for Sirius, and one for Remus Lupin.” The last name was said in a tone that had all three wincing, but agreeing nonetheless. “I will also be sending a small bag with you, with items I would like you to give to each of them at certain times. You said you were going back to May 30th of 1995?”

“Yes.” Hermione answered.

Andromeda grinned. It was not a smile any of them had  seen on her before, but they all recognized it. Hermione from Sirius, Draco from his mother—though he had never quite grown into it himself, and Harry from the mirror, in his darker moments. It was the reason he had looked into his grandparents far enough to discover that his grandmother had been a Black.

(He hadn’t been lying, when he’d told Hermione that he hadn’t been blood adopted. But he hadn’t told her that he’d come by the Black Lordship honestly, either, or that Sirius had made him his heir for more reasons than one.)

“Perfect.” Andromeda said, “Send the memories for Narcissa the moment you return—and Sirius, for that matter. They may just win the war for you.”

Draco shuddered, but nodded.

“Can we revise that timeline for the morning after the Third Task?” Hermione asked, thinking rapidly.

Andromeda stared her down for a moment, then nodded. “Probably for the best.”

In an uncharacteristic move, she swallowed the rest of her tea in a few gulps, then stood, mind made up.

“Now, if that’s all, I have some packages to put together and some memories to extract, and you three have a cub to convince.”

Convincing Teddy was not actually all that difficult, all things considered. He was on board before the possibility of meeting his parents was even mentioned, having wanted to meet his Uncle George at the height of his mischief ever since he’d learned that he wasn’t always so quiet, and the prospect of meeting versions of Harry, Hermione, and Draco who were barely five years older than him? He’d already started packing before Hermione had informed him, gently, that there was a good chance he would also be meeting his parents.

Harry, immediately understanding the uncertain look that crossed his cub’s face, opened his arms in an invitation that had Teddy crawling into his lap like he was little(er) again and burying his face in Harry’s neck.

“W-what if they don’t like me?” He mumbled, already calming a bit at Harry’s familiar scent.

“Then screw them.” Harry said a bit viciously.

Hermione and Draco stared at him in shock, but Teddy just giggled against his neck.

“I won’t lie to you cub, your mum will be pretty young, and Remus was always terrified about being a werewolf, and even more terrified at the prospect of having kids. I have no idea how they’ll react to meeting you. But Teddy-cub?” Harry tugged Teddy gently back until they could make eye contact. “No matter what happens, you’ll always have me, ‘Mione, and Draco. Got it?”

Teddy nodded, eyes flashing amber like they always did when his more feral instincts were satisfied, and relaxed into cuddling Harry, and after a moment, Hermione and Draco as well, until Andromeda found them in Teddy’s room.

“Gran!” Teddy looked up to her, as if suddenly realizing the implications of only four of them going back in time. “You’re not coming back too?”

“No, Teddy, I’m afraid not.” When tears began welling up in his eyes, she knelt in front of him, cupping his face in her hands. “But there will be a version of me there, a happier one, and I’m sending her all my memories of you. If she has the good sense I think she does, she’ll love you just as much as I will, and so will your Grandpa Ted.”

In the end, it was decided that Teddy would be spending the night and most of the next three days at Andromeda’s while the adults got ready to make the journey.

Hermione spent most of that night double-checking her research, while Draco and Harry painstakingly packed up Draco’s belongings, greenhouse, and potions lab, since he was the only one who didn’t carry around everything he owned.

The next morning was brought on by Parvati Patil showing up at the front door along with Ron, Luna, Neville, and pretty much the entire rest of the DA, along with Narcissa Malfoy, which perhaps, Harry thought to himself, he should have expected.